Capillary-breakup-induced mobilization of oil in porous media: Insights from mesoscale simulations

This study investigates the behavior of immiscible two-phase flows in porous media using the color-gradient lattice Boltzmann method. Our simulations, validated against experimental data, demonstrate the lattice Boltzmann method model’s accuracy in replicating key phenomena, including oil mass mobilization and droplet formation. We perform a parametric analysis to investigate the influence of the capillary number on oil mobilization within a porous matrix. Different regimes of mobilization are found to be determined by the capillary number. Moreover, our highly resolved numerical simulations allow the isolation of distinct mechanisms of droplet generation. These findings have significant implications for practical applications, including enhanced oil recovery, environmental remediation, and geological carbon dioxide storage. Understanding the critical conditions for droplet formation and oil mobilization can inform the development of more effective strategies for optimizing these processes.